‘No, certainly not,’ said Noah. ‘Stop quite still, or you shan’t be married.’
The giraffe winked at David, and extended her neck a little, till her mouth was close to his ear.
‘Can you grow again?’ she asked. ‘If you can’t, it’s all rather ridiculous. You would always be in the cellar, and I in the attic. We should never meet, which would be so sad for you.’
‘Silence,’ said Noah. ‘Number two, Miss Bones, the butcher’s daughter.’
‘Here,’ said Miss Bones, coming out of the cupboard.
She had got something that looked like an ox-tail, and was munching it. She sat down on one of the chairs by the wall, and pointed with the end of the ox-tail at David.
David in the registry office
‘Is that it?’ she said in a tone of disgust. ‘Why, he’s a mere upstart. None of us know him.’
David felt furious at this.